The Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee heard SB 9 on victim impact statement at sentencing authored by Sen. Brown. The bill requires a defendant to be present in the courtroom while a victim makes a statement concerning the crime and the sentence unless the defendant presents a safety risk or causes a significant disruption. The Committee amended the bill by consent to … [Read more...] about Victim impact statement at sentencing
Criminal
Doxxing
On January 6, 2026, the Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee heard SB 140 on doxxing authored by Senators Becker, Freeman, and Glick. The bill provides that a person who knowingly or intentionally posts personal information about a targeted person, or about a person closely connected to the targeted person, to communicate a threat to the targeted person in retaliation for a … [Read more...] about Doxxing
Tobacco products and vapor products
On January 6, 2026, the Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee heard SB 144 on tobacco products and vapor products authored by Sen. Alexander. The bill increases the penalty for a person who: (1) makes a delivery sale of an e-liquid to an individual less than 21 years of age; (2) sells or distributes a tobacco product to a person less than 21 years of age; and (3) purchases a … [Read more...] about Tobacco products and vapor products
Mask as an aggravating circumstance for sentencing
The Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee heard SB 160 on mask as an aggravating circumstance for sentencing authored by Sen. Deery. The bill makes wearing a mask during the commission of a criminal offense a sentencing aggravator. The Committee amended the bill by consent to eliminate the list of mask types and replace it with the definition of a mask. The … [Read more...] about Mask as an aggravating circumstance for sentencing
Redaction of children’s names in court records
The Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee heard SB 246 on the redaction of children’s names in court records authored by Sen. Freeman. The bill requires the names of child victims, child witnesses, and certain other persons to be redacted in criminal cases. The bill also requires the use of an anonymous designator such as "Child Witness No. 1" when redacting a name and p … [Read more...] about Redaction of children’s names in court records